The International 2019 Groupings Revealed

Valve has retained the same group stage format that they used since The International featured 18 teams:

• All 18 participants are divided into two groups where they will play in a single round-robin format.
• All matches are best-of-two.
• 1 point will be awarded for each win.
• The top four teams in each group will be seeded in the upper bracket.
• The bottom team in each group will be eliminated.
• The remaining teams in each group will be seeded in the lower bracket.

Just like last year, the groupings have displayed a commendable balance between Dota Pro Circuit leaders and qualified teams. The same can be partially said with regional separation, given the balance between Chinese players in each group. The imbalance between European and CIS representatives, on the other hand, has become pretty apparent, primarily due to the turnout of this year’s Dota Pro Circuit race.

Storylines are also starting to write themselves with the announcement of the group stages. Kuroky’s Team Liquid are grouped with Puppey’s Team Secret and the MATUMBAMAN-empowered Chaos Esports Club. Meanwhile, The most dramatic matchup that shaped The International 2018 seems to be back for part two as Evil Geniuses and OG will vie for a main event slot from the same group.

The International 2019 group stages will officially kick off tomorrow, August 15, 2019, at 9:00 CST (GMT +8).